B Complex artist cooperative asks Atlanta to ‘Let it B’

Atlanta artist cooperative the B Complex wrapped up its 25th anniversary on Dec. 7 with a simple phrase: “Let it B.” 

The 25th-anniversary exhibition theme was a nod to the iconic Beatles’ song of the same title. It ran from Nov. 16 through Dec. 7, when the studios held a rare public opening. But fine art photographer and complex co-founder Bill Gould has an alternative message in mind as the artist has navigated over two decades in business.

“Let us be,” Gould said. 

It’s a message in the face of gentrification across the city that Gould worries will displace the entirely self-funded artist complex. It’s one of Atlanta’s few remaining affordable spaces for artists to rent out studios and commune with other creatives. 

Tucked in a dense bamboo grove, the B Complex is anchored by a light-drenched warehouse space dotted with a few repairs. The building was left largely intact. It has concrete floors and gets frigid in the winter. But that’s part of the B Complex charm. 

Artists spend their days and nights in varying studios for all materials, from woodworking to dance. Some have heating and bathrooms, others rely on outdoor temperatures. Painters, metalworkers and photographers all come together in the small community. 

Gould and a group of other artists bought up the run-down urban property and founded the complex in 1999. The lot of brick, steel and concrete warehouses take up over 40,000 square feet of creative space.

The group had been in the artist scene for years. Gould said when he arrived in the 1970s, there wasn’t really a robust art scene in the city. He said it was “materialist and largely soulless.” 

Because there wasn’t an existing art scene, it became an affordable scene. Gould and other artists moved to Castleberry Hills to live in ultra-cheap, barely habitable spaces. They gravitated to each other and created a community. 

“It took time for Atlanta to build up that depth of culture and the art scene,” Gould said.

From a group of run-down buildings, the artists put down creative roots in Atlanta. But soon, they got pushed out of Castleberry Hill with rising rents and had to find somewhere new. That’s when Gould found the expansive property on the west side, minutes from downtown. 

“Most of the art-centric buildings in Atlanta end up being in old buildings that nobody wants or that developers can’t figure out what the value is,” Gould said. 

The warehouse, now home to the gallery, was in disrepair when Gould moved in. It took hours of labor, money and a clear vision to turn the spaces into habitable — though unglamorous — artist havens. 

But the B Complex started with a clear mission: to be a supportive, creative environment owned and directed by artists and untouched by profit-driven development. Gould said it presented a few challenges. Many of the artists didn’t have capital on hand to buy into the space, and the leases ran month-to-month. 

“It’s a challenging thing to get people on the same page, to make collective and cooperative decisions,” Gould said.

Still, the complex stayed true to its original vision. Though rents for each studio vary, a small space can run for about $300 a month. Most leases are under $900 a month, according to Gould, with a few multi-story studios with bathrooms and kitchens totaling about $1,400 monthly.

The B Complex is also selective, though not in the traditional sense. Artists can’t apply online or just pay for a space outright. They have to call Gould and inquire about space so the photographer can match each creative to the best spot.

There are no criteria for who is chosen. Gould wants to nurture young talent, from young artists to late-career creatives pivoting to a new field. Once they’re in, people rarely want to leave.

“We are sort of an anomaly, I think, based on how large we are, how long I’ve been here,” Gould said. “The fact that there’s really just a couple of us who have, because of the love of it and the stubbornness and our passion to just preserve that vision, have made it work without money.”

As the Beltline sees more development with projects like Murphy Crossing in the area, Gould worries the space is under threat. The B Complex is in the Beltline Overlay District, a special zone aimed at guiding renovation and building. But it also puts the property on the map for developers — and raises property taxes.

In the past few years, Gould said the complex property taxes have doubled to over $45,000. He’s a fan of the change brought by the Beltline, but the rising cost of a rapidly developing neighborhood makes it hard for him to keep rents at the same low rates. Beltline initiatives help many residential properties in direct vicinity, but Gould thinks the complex is still largely off the radar.

“I’ve always felt uneasy in Atlanta about the pace in which change happens,” Gould said. “A lot of change in Atlanta has been spurred by private development interests.”

Now, Gould said developers are taking notice. He is often told the complex could double its rent and still be cheaper than every other space. But he wants to serve people who can barely afford space at all.

“Artists are the core of the group that started this place that we, you know, established this vision, this mission, to empower artists to steer their own futures and to hold on amid what we could see was this engine of change in gentrification that was coming,” Gould said.

It’s a battle between encroaching development and what Gould calls “people who care about the soul of the city.” Thankfully, those people are set up in the B Complex.

Over the years, it has drawn in artists from all over. Today it’s home to 28 people in 26 studios — that includes a Dutch woodworker, a Puerto Rican artist, a Cuban painter and people who work with all sorts of materials.

On Dec. 7, the complex held its annual open studios event where artists bring the public into their personal creative spaces. The studios are filled with a dizzying array of art. Painters keep their works stacked on giant shelves. The woodworking space emits an odor of strong chemicals and metal flowers adorn the entrance to a metal worker space. Pets wander the property; some feral cats are adopted from a nearby colony, and some are brought from home. It’s a series of small studios, but the urban forest feels more like a mini-neighborhood of friendly neighbors.

Magdalena O’Connor, a metal worker specializing in salvaged materials and “do-it-yourself” magnet sculptures, has been at the complex since 2018. Connor’s space is massive, with a giant climbing rope and no insulation.

“I love being around other artists,” O’Connor said.

The metal worker said there’s a real sense of comradery, community and learning among the residents.

“Instead of asking a neighbor for a cup of sugar, you ask them for a tool or if they have a specific piece of material,” metal worker Jeffry Loy said.

Loy, also an original member of the complex, often brings in painters to help him on projects like mural restorations for the city. It’s a group full of mutual exchange.

“If you talk to anyone here who’s been here for a month or 20 years, they cherish the energy that is in this place, the camaraderie and the psychological support, the emotional support, of allowing people to be creative,” Gould said, “Understanding that and giving each other space, room to do that.”

Gould said it’s the passion of this small group of artists that keeps the complex in the business year after year, with little outside funding and ever-growing development. It’s a scrappy business model, built on getting funds when possible — renting out the space for video shoots and replacing broken window panes with plexiglass.

Gould knows it would be easier to sell out the space and pocket the cash. He’s determined to let The B Complex be for its artists.

“I want more pressure on elected officials to understand the communities they’re working in and making sure there’s a more meaningful place for artists in that equation,” Gould said.